Reddit reviews Lodge 12 Inch Square Cast Iron Grill Pan. Ribbed 12-Inch Square Cast Iron Grill Pan with Dual Handles.

With due respect. Both of these are crummy for grilling. Here's the reason why.

The most important feature of a grill pan is MASS. Because it is aluminum, your scanpan double burner is a mere 6 pounds. And the frypan is just 3 pounds. Neither of these pans can hold enough thermal energy for grilling. Throw a steak on the scanpan and it'll cool down and will be difficult to sear, and impossible to sear well.

Rosie, you want the heaviest freakin' pan you can buy. Something you can use as a weapon. That means cast iron and lots of it. Your Emirlware is 9 pounds, which isn't horrible. But your Rachel Ray is 16 freakin' pounds. The aforementioned Le Creuset is 8 pounds. The Lodge is 8.3 pounds. The Lodge Pro is 10 pounds.

I would not get the Rachel Ray nor the double-burner version of the Lodge. I have double-burner pans. They are a pain the butt to clean, and are just wasteful when cooking and use up way too much space.

Get the heaviest single-burner pan you can find. The above Lodge Pro seems a good pick, though its reviews suggest that its grill marks are too fine and closely spaced.

Last: the grill marks of a grill pan are overrated. They are extremely hard pans to clean and can be used for nothing else (remember Alton Brown's hatred of single-use gadgets...). And your food doesn't have as many contact surfaces with the pan as you'd have in a regular, heavy, cast iron skillet. That's what you really should buy instead.

i like this one better. the low edges and the lack of the lid are actually a good thing. the only reason to use a grill pan is to keep it super hot and to get your food a bit charred. depending on what you're cooking, you might want to let the food cool after you've got the grill marks and then you put it in a coolish, 250 degrees, oven to get it up to the correct temperature.

to help clean the pan, you put salt amongst the ridges before cooking. it will absorb the juices and add to the charring.

No need for the quotes--grilling is grilling. "Barbecue" is the word most people need to be more careful about.

All you need is a good grill pan. There are two things that a good grill pan has to have. First, It should be heavy, and probably made primarily from cast-iron. Second, the grill grates should be deep enough where semi-soft food like burgers will sit on top of the grates without touching the surface below. That'll give you the grill marks you want, and the smoke of the burnt drippings underneath should replicate some of that outdoorsy taste.

Other than that, look for what makes you the most comfortable. What's gonna be easiest to work with? Do some options have features that will realistically make you more inclined to grill your food?

Maybe you want a good, sturdy product from a consistently good and reasonably priced brand. Check out [1] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Pro-Logic-P12SGR3-Pre-Seasoned-12-inch/dp/B0001DJVGA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1406489694&sr=8-7&keywords=grill+pan) and [2.] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8SGP3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-10-5-inch/dp/B0000CF66W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406489694&sr=8-1&keywords=grill+pan) Note the differences, and how they might limit or assist you.

I grill a lot, so if it were me, I'd spring for [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Le-Creuset-Enameled-Bistro-3-Inch/dp/B00B4UP3W0/ref=sr_1_94?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1406491379&sr=1-94&keywords=grill+pan) if I didn't have access to a normal grill. If I wasn't flush in this graduation money, I'd investigate options like [this.] (http://www.amazon.com/Typhoon-Cast-Iron-Grill/dp/B00L1L5YVM/ref=sr_1_13?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1406491199&sr=1-13&keywords=grill+pan) I'm partial to the low sides for ease of access, and I like the handleless and removable handle design for storage and sink access

On that note, never wash these with soap and sponge. Look up how to take care of them, and keep in mind that you're gonna pre-heat this thing to 500 degrees on a high flame for 5-10 minutes before you use it. That'll kill whatever you might be squeamish about.

You don't have to worry about preheating for too long as long as you don't forget its on there and remember the handle could be very hot. For the sake of science and familiarizing myself with how my food actually cooks, I use [this guy] (http://www.amazon.com/SainSonic-SS5380-Infrared-Themometer-Temperature/dp/B0057OOW12/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1406492165&sr=1-4&keywords=infrared+thermometer) all the time. It's great for cooking, letting kids "help," and confusing your dog beyond the limits of sanity.

Happy cooking!

Nice cutting board $100

Food mill $50

Cream whipper $30

Grill pan $33

Peel $60

Kitchenaid meat grinder/sausage stuffer $60

Culinary torch $20